Method of and means for feeding fluid combustible to internal-combustion engines.



K. STEINBECKER. METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR FEEDING FLUID COMBUSTIBLES T0 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION fll ED SEPT. 7. 191 l.

1 1 54. 8 1 6 lafonted Sept. 28, 1915.

Wi tn esses: I nventor:

7 E I Karl SteinbecKel',

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL STEINBECKER, 0F CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR FEEDING FLUID COMBUSTIBLE TO INTERNAL- COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed September 7, 1911.

To all IIIIUIII if "my com-(1m:

charge of pure air in the cylinder and there mixed with said air to producean explosive vapor.

It is customary to effect the spraying of the fuel into the cylinder by means of a blast of air obtained from a suitable supply of compressed air. as from an air pump. This blast of air mustbe furnished to the fuel injector at a very high PlOSSlll andfor numerous reasons is not an entirely satisfactory mamier for introducing the charge to the cylinder. By my present invention I provide a method'of and means for forcing the charge intothe cylinder in an ellicicnt. and etfective manner without the use of a blast of high pressure air. 1 effect this by providing a chamber into which the combustible is delivered by the pump. said chamher having a constricted nozzle-shaped outlet commluiicating with the engine cylinder. The charge is delivered to this chamber substantially coincidentally with the instant of greatest compression of the air in the cylinder. The heat of the compressed air ignites a portion of the charge in the chamber, and the resulting rise of temperature in the chamber causes a sudden expansion of the compressed air trapped above the charge, which together with the rise in pressure due to the partial combustion of the charge forcibly ejects the remainder of the combustible through the outlet into the cylinder. where it is widely diffused throughout the air contained therein, and becomes thoroughly mixed therewith. This process is aided by the fact that in case the introduction of the combustible takes place at the inner dead point of the piston, the original compression pressure decreases very rapidly in conse- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

Serial No. 648.018.

quence of the outward movement of the piston. of the combustible into the cylinder is effected directly and automatically. so that great certainty of operation is attained.

Tl accmnpanying drawing is a section of a portion of an engine cylinder equipped for carrying out my invention. .\t a suitable point in the wall of the cylinder 1. correspomling with the compression space therein. is drilled a hole for the plug 2, which is preferably screwed into place, as shown. If the engine has a water jacket 3. a hole is provided therein for the plu the joint being properly packed: as for instance by a gasket r compressed by a gland 5. The plug is cored out to form a chamber (i which has a constricted nozzle-like mouth. 7 opening into the cylinder 1. A nozzle enters the opposite end of the chamber. be ing preferably screwed in, as shown. The pipe i delivers the oil or other combustible to the nozzle 8. the supply being intermittent and derived from a suitable pump, not shown. The bore of the nozzle 8 has a small enlargement or cavity 10 near its tip and inside the chamber (3.

The method of operation is as follows: 'hen the engine piston compresses the air inthe compression space of the cylinder. the air in the chamber (3 is similarly compressed and its temperature raised correspondingly. At the instant when the compression stroke of the piston is nearly or substantially coinpleted the pump delivers a charge of oil through the nozzle 8. The narrow month 7 together with any air which is still flowing from the cylinder through the nozzles 7 prevents the charge from escaping immediately from the chamber (3, and at the same time such flowing air carries along particles of the charge tending thereby to form a coinbustible mixture in the chamber (3. The upper surface of said'charge presents a sufficient area to the highly heated compressed air in said chamber to cause the ignition of a portion of the charge. The increase of pressure produced in the chamber due to this partial combustion. and to the raising of the temperature of the compressed air in the chamber (3, throws all the combustible into the cylinder. spraying or "aporizing it completely and effecting a thorough mixture It will be observed that the spraying with the air, so that combustion occurs instantly. The cavity 10 in the nozzle stores a sufiicient quantity of combustible for the next stroke of the engine, and since this portion of the nozzle is within the chamber it is exposed to greatheat which pre-heats the charge in the cavity 10, so that said charge will ignite more readily when forced .into the chamber 6.

tion engine cylinder, which consists in compressing air in the cylinder and in a communicating chamber having an outlet portion with a constricted passage between it and the cylinder, and delivering the charge to the outlet portion of the chamber, thus exposing the rear surface of the charge to and causing it to be ignited by the heat of the compressed air in the chamber, the higher pressure due to the combustion and rise in temperature of the contents of the chamber acting to force the charge through the passage into the cylinder.

2. The method of operating an internal combustion engine which consists in compressing air in the engine cylinder and a chamber communicating with the cylinder by a constricted outlet to a degree suflicient to ignite the fuel charge by the heat due to compression, and delivering a liquid fuel charge into the chamber at substantially the time of greatest compression so that the charge practically fills said outlet and its rear surface or portion is ignited by the heated air in the chamber, the resultant rise of pi'essure in the chamber due to the combustion there'- in acting on the rear of the charge to forcibly eject the remainder of the charge through the outlet into the hot compressed air in the cylinder.

3. The method of introducing a charge of fuel into an internal combustion engine of the high compression type having a cylinder and a chamber which communicates with the clearance space of the cylinderthrougha restricted passage, which consists in introducing the fuel into the passage so that it substantially fills the same after the engine piston has substantially completed its com pression stroke and compressed the air in the cylinder and chamber to a pressure so high that its temperature is abov/e that of the ignition temperature of the fuel whereby the rear portion of the charge of fuel will be ignited by the air in the chamber and force the charge of fuel through the passage into the cylinder.

4. The combination with an internal combustion engine cylinder, of a plug connected thereto, said plug havingachamber formed therein which communicates with the cylinder through a fconstri'cted nozzle-like mouth, and a fuel nozzle projecting from a point outside the plug to a point well within the chamber and adjacent to said constricted nozzle-like mouth, said fuel nozzle having a cavity formed therein within the chamber for storing a charge of fuel.

5. A device for carrying out the method herein described, comprising an engine cylinder, a plug having a screw-threaded end that is secured in the wall of the engine cylinder, said plug containing a chamber provided with a constricted nozzle-like mouth opening out through the screw-threadedpnd into the cylinder, and a fuel supply nozzle secured in the opposite end of the plug, said nozzle extending into the chamber and hav ing a longitudinal passage-through it provided with an enlarged cavity near its tip for storing a charge of fuel.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

KARL STEINBECKER.

lVitnesses:

ERICH Uimnmn, GUST. HtiLnuocK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

